Subaru’s compact WRX combines together several distinctions getting harder and harder to nail down from dealers in the mid-2020s.
First, WRX’s four-door sedan body style. Domestic automakers including General Motors, Stellantis and Ford Motor Company have quietly dropped the four-door configuration in order to open up production room for hot-selling five-door crossovers. Subaru bucks this instinct by proudly marketing two choice sedans within its lineup in 2025.
Second, a performance-minded manual transmission. This hands-on choice comes standard in all but one of the four 2025 WRX trims and provides a connection to driving exuberance all-to-often lacking with most conventional automatic transmissions. Mastering a ‘stick’ is akin to a lost art in some corners of the driving world but greatly appreciated by a generation who began their motive narrative with this basic of beasts with six manual forward thrusts plus reverse (in the case of WRX). For those seeking a manual within a sedan body, WRX may be one of the final choices still standing in 2025.
Subaru’s one of the early adaptors of ‘incline start assist,’ otherwise known as a hill-holder clutch, preventing WRX from a backwards roll for a few valuable seconds when deploying the clutch pedal and gently massaging the accelerator pedal when on an incline. Finally, picture WRX as the Superman alter ego of the Impreza family sedan. Impreza launched in the States in 1993 with its WRX performance trim level arriving a bit later.
Think of Impreza of the Clark Kent of Subaru’s automotive sedans. Down to earth, dedicated to its day job and, at most times, unassuming. Yet, when the going gets tough and situations beg for out-of-this-world assistance, Impreza sheds its complacent personality and WXR arrives to save the day (sans the cape). During the first three generations, WRX and Impreza found themselves connected at the hip.
About 10 years ago, Superman and Clark Kent split and went in their own separate directions with the 2015 model year WRX standing on its own in sedan form rather than a subset trim option of Impreza. Prior to 2015, WRX also included a wagon body style. Now in 2025, Impreza exclusively boasts a wagon-like hatch with Subaru’s compact Legacy the only other choice retraining a sedan body.
During its three-decade plus run, WRX enjoyed its place as a ‘tuner’ car favorite, one that undergoes engine and other performance enhancements in a backyard mechanic style and a favorite of amateur racers. It’s also track ready if one finds him/herself at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin or Joliet’s Autobahn Country Club. For those who occasionally or never visit a closed circuit track, WRX still enjoys its status as a daily driver as well. The WRX initials signify W (World) R (Rally) X (eXperimental) as the trumped up Impreza bloomed and fine-tuned within the worldwide rally racing circuit and birthing the WRX trim.
The current 2025 model year WRX bases upon a redesign introduced in the 2022 model year delivering slightly more horsepower than the previous generation. Four trim levels offer up in 2025: Premium, Limited, GT and all-new tS. This order represents a change form 2024 as the base configuration has been dropped and the tS (with additional premium functionality) the new kid on the block. Available this year for the first time on all WRX trims, a Galaxy Purple premium exterior hue adding an additional $395.
Wondering the significance of tS? It references ‘tuned by STI’ (Subaru Tecnica International), Subaru’s official motorsports and performance division established in 1988 predating WRX by about four years. Subaru’s also badges the two-door rear drive BRZ with tS upgrades.
The new-for-2025 WRX tS tester trim arrives with unique performance upgrades including a high-performance Brembo disc braking system with larger pads and rotors than non tS trims. Six-pistons work up front and a pair outback. Visually, ‘golden hued’ calipers offer distinction. It’s the top performer within the performance-minded WRX sedan.
The WRX and most every Subaru includes Symmetrical (continuous) all-wheel drive, always active and integrated into the transmission, sending a balanced distribution of power to all wheels at the same time, eliminating under and over steer. Many rival all-wheel drive systems pitch a simpler ‘part-time design,’ also known as ‘on demand’ or sometimes slip-and-grip’ where the vehicle defaults to two-wheel drive until slippage gets detected, only then is torque transferred, and all-wheel drive engaged. Only the rear-drive BRZ foregoes symmetrical AWD within Subaru’s lineup.
Also adding to superior weight distribution within WRX and all Subaru’s, a ‘Boxer’ format. A horizontally opposed, longitudinal-mounted engine with pistons lying flat at 180 degrees low in the underbelly (the ‘Boxer’ or ‘Flat 4’ design) provides a low center of gravity compared to a larger V-6 design. The straight line, or symmetrical format continues rearward and tweaks slightly depending upon the transmission utilized. All Subaru’s boast four-cylinder power.
Active torque vectoring, standard in WRX, helps keep tire grip solid turning spirited turns. When approaching a corner, the system distributes less torque to the inside wheel (which spins slower than outside wheels during turns) guiding more power to the outside wheel reducing the chance of understeer or a loss of control.
The WRX includes one of Subaru’s lowest ground clearances at 5.4 inches, promoting a performance ambiance. Badging reflecting the tS upgrade locates on front Ricardo performance designed front buckets with black ultra-suede perforated soft-touch material and blue stitching. Unique blue accents adorn door panels, steering wheel, six-speed manual shifter, lower framing between front buckets and prominent blue seat bolsters. Additional black suede materials adorn the dashboard front.
A returning 2.4-liter turbocharged direct injection four-cylinder returns powering all trims including tS and delivering 271 horses. A 16.6-gallon fuel tank holds recommended 91-octane premium fuel or better delivering maximum results although 87-octane may be substituted. With an estimated 19 miles per gallon city, WRX won’t win any top-fuel mileage trophies in the four-cylinder category. On the road, expect a refined yet smooth ride with sharp cornering enjoyment and precise steering.
Our Sapphire Blue WRX tS included a starting price of $45,705. With the $1,170 destination fee, the bottom line reached $46,875. The WRX in general offers high standard content levels with few factory options to ponder but dealers may have a few extra suggestions if interested. Pricing for a Premium trim with six-speed automatic transmission starts at $35,750.
Slip behind the wheel and riders are greeting with soft contoured seats positioned a bit lower than most rival sedans. Narrow rear C pillars and large side windows eliminate major side blind spots. The WRX includes both USB Type C and Type A plug ports interacting with Smartphones and in-dash screen. Sorry…No wireless charging so the cords come in handy. Row two seat backs fold with a 60/40 split accessing the flat-floored12.5-cubic-foot trunk with goose-neck style inside hinges with protective housing as not to injure packaging.
The portrait-style 11.6-inch in-dash Starlink multifunction touch screen includes a colorful display of icons when pushing the ‘Home’ button near the bottom. The tS includes in-dash navigation as does a couple other higher trims. Subaru’s design still welcomes a couple of old-school twist dials one on each side of the screen along black vertical framing. Dual climate controls also build into the screen with temperature push plates (red and blue) built into the frame along with front/rear defroster buttons. Other functions remain omni present along the bottom of the touch-sensitive screen. It’s a rather intuitive layout and friendlier than many other designs morphing climate controls into the center screen. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility come standard for easy Smartphone pairing into the screen.
The manual, fully synchronized six tranny includes a circular pull-up ring on the shift handle to flag reverse, in the lower right hand corner of the tutorial. The foot clutch provides a predicable leg thrust, not a too-quick activation during the beginning of the foot lift. The digital instrument panel provides a current gear display along the bottom adjacent to the current drive mode. An old-school mechanical pull-style emergency/parking brake handle resides to the side of the six-gear shifter.
The newly implemented 12.3-inch full LCD easy-read digital instrument cluster also includes two digital orbs, a left-side tachometer with small multi-panel window and right-side speedometer. The multi-panel window includes current audio setting, tire pressure, temperature and other choices selectable via a left-side button within the three-spoke flat bottomed steering wheel. Another convenient steering wheel button summons one of five drive mode selections (comfort, normal, sport, sport plus and individual) that adjust steering and suspension responses via electronically controlled adaptive dampers.
The can’t miss dashboard bound electric start/stop circular button hued in red includes stop/start lettering and a green illumination bar when active. Once activated, all enjoy cosmic-like animation within both the digital instrument panel and center screen for about five seconds.
A red WRX logo rests within the black hexagonal honeycomb grille with both tS and WRX identifiers adorning the back trunk lid. Subaru’s oval multi-starred logo also inserts within the grille and on the trunk lid. A small lip spoiler graces the trunk lids edge. All WRX trims include a prominent sizable functional hood scoop channeling air to nicely cool the turbo four. A quad exhaust featuring a pair of circular-ended pipes at each end adorns the back underbelly. Circular wheel wells get a visual assist from black composite ding-resistant materials that form an edgier squared framing. The material continues underscoring door bottoms, and bumpers. Strap-like pull door handles remain body color.
Both Subaru and another mid-size Japanese auto company, Mazda, define themselves and their respective corporate images by highlighting smaller, comparatively lower-priced halo vehicles. The WRX sport sedan promotes Subaru’s racing heritage with performance a notch above other crossovers, wagons and sedans within its lineup. Mazda’s two-door MX-5 Miata opens up two-seat open-top roadster travel to the masses. Both Mazda and Subaru forgo truck-like body-on-frame vehicles instead offering a lineup of uni-body, lighter weight structures.
2025 Subaru WRX tS
Price as tested: $46,875
Engine: 2.4-liter four-cylinder turbo
Horsepower: 271
Wheelbase: 105.2 inches
Overall Length: 183.8 inches
Overall Width: 71.9 inches
Overall Height: 57.8 inches
Curb Weight: 3,430 pounds
Fuel economy: 19 mpg city, 26 mpg highway
Powertrain warranty: Five year/60,000 miles
Assembly: Gunma, Japan
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